Teenagers run UK mugging gauntlet

Lucky youths own plenty of expensive gadgets

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A survey has found that the average teenager in the UK regularly prances around wearing outfits worth over £700. The poll of 2,500 parents across Britain revealed that teenagers have expensive tastes when it comes to fashion.

Must-have gadgets, like mobile phones and MP3 players, make up half of a typical £700 fashion outfit. And despite this apparent appreciation for life's finer luxuries, 30 per cent of teenagers regularly lose their most valuable gadgets through displays of sheer negligence, and the skulduggery of others.

Cornhill Direct, the insurance company which conducted the survey, said: "Teenagers like to step out in the latest fashion and gizmos. The results of this poll show just how vulnerable young teenagers in particular can be to theft.

"Parents should certainly try to prevent them leaving home with too much expensive kit on them."

With items such as the AppleiPhone on the consumer tech horizon, trendy teenagers are only more likely to become an even bigger target for muggers, thieves and other nasty crooks.